Building Credible Evidence

Credible evidence is not just understandable. It is something others can trust and use with confidence. This is what allows learning to be recognised beyond the classroom.

Earlier, we looked at how evidence becomes usable through, action, context and impact. This allows someone to interpret what happened. But for credibility we are asking a different question.

Is this a reliable indication of what the student can do?

Because evidence is rarely used in isolation, it is often read, interpreted, and acted on by others:

• another educator
• a school leader
• a future educator
• a parent
• an employer

For that to happen, the evidence needs to do more than describe. It needs to hold up under interpretation.

What Makes Evidence Credible?

Credibility is not about adding more detail for its own sake. It is about whether the evidence is strong enough to support a judgement. We can think about this through three simple questions:

1. Can I interpret this clearly?

Is it easy to understand what the learner actually did? Vague statements such as:

• “Worked well”
• “Completed the task”

do not provide enough clarity. Clear descriptions focus on observable actions.

2. Does this feel reliable?

Does the evidence suggest this is something the learner can do again? Credible evidence shows:

• decision-making
• adjustment
• reasoning

It moves beyond one-off completion to show how the learner approached the task.

3. Could this support a decision?

Would this help someone make a judgement about the learner’s capability? For example:

• giving feedback
• reporting progress
• identifying next steps
• supporting pathways

If the answer is yes, the evidence is more likely to be credible.

An Example

One of the areas I’ve worked in a lot is project management. If someone asks me for an example, I might say:

“I’m good at problem-solving.”

“When a project wasn’t meeting its goals, I broke the problem into smaller parts, tested different approaches, and adjusted the plan based on what the data showed.”

• what I did
• how I approached the situation
• and the context in which it happened

“While leading the rollout of a new learning platform, the project began falling behind schedule due to low user engagement. I analysed usage data, identified where participants were dropping off, and worked with the team to redesign the onboarding experience. We tested different approaches, adjusted the rollout plan, and introduced targeted support at key points. As a result, completion rates increased, timelines stabilised, and the platform was successfully implemented across the organisation.”

This is credible evidence. It not only shows what happened, but also:

• a clear and relevant context
• specific, observable actions
• decision-making and adaptation
• and a meaningful, measurable outcome

It gives enough detail for someone else to interpret the capability, trust that it is meaningful and repeatable and use it to make a judgement about what I can do in a similar situation

A skill statement tells you what I think I’m good at

Useful evidence helps you understand what I did

Credible evidence helps you trust what that means about my capability

Recognition Beyond the Qualification

These ideas are increasingly being explored across higher education internationally. Initiatives such as Credential As You Go, along with work by AAC&U, NACE, and universities around the world, are rethinking how learning is recognised and communicated.

Credential As You Go focuses on incremental credentialling, recognising that learners often develop valuable knowledge, skills, and capability long before they complete a qualification. Rather than viewing recognition as something that happens only at graduation, it explores how learning can be recognised throughout a learner’s journey.

This aligns closely with broader developments in higher education, including:

• microcredentials
• digital credentials
• Comprehensive Learner Records (CLRs)
• ePortfolios
• recognition of prior learning

Across these approaches, there is a common shift from describing what learners have completed to providing evidence that others can understand, trust, and use.

A Practical Balance

However we do not need every assessment or activity to generate formal evidence of capability. Making learning visible is often the most important first step.

It helps learners recognise the skills they are developing, understand how those skills connect across different experiences, and build confidence in describing what they can do.

Over time, these moments accumulate.

A learner may begin by reflecting on a group project, a placement activity, a simulation, or a workplace improvement project. Individually, each reflection provides a small piece of evidence. Together, they begin to tell a broader story about capability development.

This is one of the central ideas behind credential-as-you-go approaches. Rather than waiting until the end of a degree to recognise learning, capability can be recognised progressively as it develops.

For example:

• a learner may demonstrate collaboration and communication through a first-year group project
• a placement experience may provide evidence of professional practice
• a capstone project may demonstrate critical thinking and problem solving
• a workplace-based microcredential may provide evidence of leadership or process improvement

Each experience contributes to a growing body of evidence that helps learners recognise and communicate what they can do.